CARMELA'S POV :

Trying to blink away the tears, there was no use. The fear had somehow creeped its way back.

No! You swore to yourself you would never be afraid again. Now look at you, blubbering like a little baby..Pathetic.

Now cuddling my knee's, I let go another small weep trying to block out my own thoughts.

Feeling someone's hand try to touch me, I flinched back once again, but relaxed as Phoenix shushed me and embraced me into a warm hug.

"Its okay, its just me Carmela, its just me." He whispered into my hair while he brushed it out of my face.

"W-when he p-pinned you on the f-floor, I just remembered a-and, I froze. Phoenix I-I didnt see T-tate, I saw him, and I fucking froze" I let out another frustrated cry as Phoenix held me closer to him and sighed.

"Its my fault, I shouldn't have tackled him to the ground, I should have just listened to you first. but you know what-" Taking hold of my head, he watched the stray tears escape down my face and gave me a reassuring smile.

"That man is gone, he is never coming back into our lives, okay? Okay Carmela, say okay for me." Murmuring a small okay, he gave me a weak smile and gave my forehead a small kiss, before returning to bringing me into a hug.

"Look, Moms got the late shift at the hospital and Kelsie's gone out. so why dont we watch some of those terrible movies you're always trying to get me to watch" He spoke into my hair.

Letting out a shaky laugh, I stood up and looked down at his bruised and bloodied face.

"I think we should clean you up first."

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Tates POV:

Leaning upon the wall with the cigarette in the corner of my mouth, I watched how the people from my school made fools of themselves, due to their low alcohol tolerance.

Glancing at my watch, I sighed in frustration. He was already half an hour late.

Taking one more pull from the cigarette, I flicked it onto the floor and began to walk in the other direction of the bar.

"Oi you little shit" His strong English accent made me stop in my tracks, and the slightest smile appear on my face.

"Elliot.." I laughed.

Turning around, there he stood with a bottle of whiskey in one hand, and his cellphone in the other.

He hadnt changed abit, he still had the sad in his bright green eyes. The small scar on his jaw line, and the ridiculous piercing in his tongue.

He was dressed in black jeans, a blue button up shirt with no sleeves, and a grey beenie.

"You were gonna leave without me? and there I was thinking you wanted to see your dearest brother" he joked.

Giving my back a hard slap, he shortly lost his smile as he saw my blank expression.

"You alright there mate? " For once, his words werent laced in sarcasm, or some crude joke, he actually seemed concerned.

Shrugging his hand off of my back, I shot him a warning look.

"Im not your 'mate', I called you for a drink, now lets go" Walking in the direction of the bar, I stopped as I saw Elliott had not been following.

Turning around to face him, I saw him rocking back and forth on his feet while looking at me with a smart ass smirk.

"Are you mentally unstable or deaf, I said come on" I yelled which didn't seem to have any effect on him what so ever.

"Did you hear-"

"I heard you perfectly fine Tate, but you called me to have a good time, and frankly, I dont find getting sassed by my little brother a good time" Popping open the bottle of alcohol, he took a swig and then looked back at my hate filled eyes.

"Okay fine, no more... 'Sass'" I murmured while looking around at the half naked girls gawking at my brother and I.

"Tell me you love me" Snapping my head back around to Elliot, he stood there with a smirk on his lips and sarcasm in his eyes. Swigging at the bottle once more, he made an 'ah' sound while batting his eyelashes towards me.

"you can fuck off" I said with a face of disgust.

Turning around on his heels, he laughed an 'okay then' and started to walk away from me.

Why are you even speaking to him? If your mom finds out, she'll kill you....or worse. Just walk away, turn around and go.

Sighing to myself, I knew I'd regret this later on.

"Elliot, wait!" Picking up my pace towards him, he stopped and turned to face me with a smug smile.

"say it..." he taunted.

"I love you" I murmured while scratching the back of my neck.

"Sorry, what was that?" he laughed while cupping his ear.

I should have ran when I had the chance..

"I said, I fucking love you!" I shouted, which made enough people stop and stare at me.

Noticing Elliot had bellowed over in fits of laughter, he was even clutching his stomach, thats how much he was laughing.

slightly kicking his foot indicated for him to stand up straight, and regain his sanity.

"Now little brother, lets get you white girl wasted."

.

.

As I followed Elliot down the stairs of some kind of dark cave, my ears started to pick up on the deafening music behind the door.

Glancing over his shoulder at me, he mouthed the words 'white girl wasted' before opening the door of what seemed like the depths of hell.

Red lights flashed upon the bare skin of dancing girls. The odour of sweat and alcohol strangled your lungs after every breath.

Even the shifty eyes of guys spread around the room made me uneasy.

"This is your idea of fun?" I yelled over the sound of 'why'd you only call me when your high'. Laughing, he lazily hung his arm around my shoulder and started to shout along to the song.

"Follow me to heaven, little brother." Letting him drag me over to a red cushioned booth where a group of people were laughing and playing drinking games.

Finally, alcohol. I just wanted to drink, not party, not socialise, just drink until I felt numb on the inside.

"Elliott!" They all shouted with smiles on their faces. If they knew Elliott like I did, im sure they wouldnt be all smiles.

Pushing me down in the red leather, I was automatically given a drink and girl to sit on my lap.

They took service with a smile to a whole other level.

Watching Elliott parch himself on the black leather chair, he whispered something to the others which made them all leave with smirks on their faces, well apart from the girl latching onto me.

"I promised you a good time, didnt I?" Passing me a shot glass, I downed it with ease, just as I did the next 5.

Like out of thin air, a group of half clothed girls had came flocking to me, some dancing, 2 removing my top, and the others just seemed like they were trying to grope me.

"Look, im sorry but-" Being kissed on the mouth by one of the girls interrupted me and her lips preoccupied me.

Breaking away from the kiss, I looked back at Elliott to see he had been done the exact same thing by some other girl. Shaking my head, a shaky chuckle escaped from my lips.

Suddenly being handed a large glass of a green substance I wasn't familiar of, I took in my surroundings and sighed.

"Heres to getting white girl wasted" I toasted as some of the girls giggled... I think I was gonna regret this in the morning.

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Carmela's POV:

Hearing the small sounds of laughter, I ignored it and tried to force myself back to sleep.

"Kitten" Slowly opening my eyes, I roughly rubbed them with the back of my hands.

Glancing at the window, I tumbled out of bed with my sheets as I saw Tates blue eyes staring at me.

Shooting to my feet, there he stood, hanging from my window with what looked like paint smeared on one side of his face.

Rushing to the window, I slid it up and watched a giggling Tate gawk back at me in amazement.

"Did I wake you up?" he asked sounding truly upset. "Don't be mad."

I feel like that would have been something I would have smiled at, but at the moment I felt numb. He was a tornado that just swept away everything in his path. The whiplash I get from this guy is next level, one minute he's sweet and down to earth, the next minute he's beating my brother to a pulp.

Make it make sense, please.

"No Tate, you didnt wake me up" If he wasnt so drunk, I would have ignored him. I would have just 'accidentally' nudged him out, shut the window and gone back to sleep.

But you know why I'm not doing that?

Because unfortunately, im a good person.

"Good....but im gonna need you to wake up now, cause I can't open your window" Frowning, he looked below him and chuckled.

So the psycho can also be a dumbass? Noted.

Leaning on my window pane, I could see his shirtless chest covered with strokes of different coloured paints and numbers. Peering further out my window, I saw how his trousers had 'disappeared' too, thank the lord for Calvin Klein.

He pulled himself in further, half way inside the warmth of my room, and the chill of outside. I massaged my temples as I began to take a couple steps backwards.

"Where did you go Tate? its 3am, if my mom finds out." I said to him with a sigh.

The further he climbed into my room, the more steps I took backwards. His body crashed towards the floor, forcing me to close my eyes in annoyance.

"You need to get out, because I don't have time for this. You think you can just do that to Phoenix and everything is going to go back to normal?." I dragged both hands down my face. Only opening my eyes once my hands were back down to my sides.

"Come on."

I stared down at an unconscious looking Tate, small snores escaping him lips every other second.

Nudging him in his side with my foot, his eyes opened almost instantly. At first looking confused, which slowly turned in to the look of relief .

"Are you going to tell me where you went, or just keep staring?." Folding my arms across my chest, I shifted from left to right as he began to roll over to stare at the ceiling instead. With his head resting on the palms of his hands, his eyes softly closed as a sigh left his mouth.

"I went to a strip club with E....and then we drunk and then I had a pill, and now I think im dead..." I feel as though I should have been more taken aback, I mean don't get me wrong, I'm stood here in complete silence just processing what I could possibly have done in another life for this to be happening right now.

I slumped back down on my bed, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"I can't believe you're corrupting Evan.. wait does that mean they're back from Barbados? So you can go ho-" Looking down at Tates gentle face , it was to no surprise he had fallen asleep again. The nudge of my foot was no use this time, no matter how many times I tried.

And I tried a lot.

Reaching towards the throw at the bottom of my bed, I picked it up before carefully throwing it over his bare body. I knelt down to cover his shoulders, and to try to roll him on his side.

I wanted to know what went through his head when he looked this peaceful. Is it still constant turmoil?

I took my thumb to brush the few loose strands of hair that draped over his eyes, behind his pierced ear.

Catching my reflection in the mirror, I awkwardly cleared my throat and removed my hand from his cheek.

This was getting a little creepy now.

I tumbled back into bed, the deafening sound of my heart beat filled my ears for the next 30 minutes, before I slipped off into a less than peaceful sleep.